As the seasons change, your skincare routine should do the same. The summer heat, increased sun exposure, and outdoor activities can make your winter products feel too heavy or cause breakouts. This guide will help you design a summer skincare routine to ensure your skin remains healthy, glowing, and well-protected.
Basic Summer Skincare Routine
Having healthy skin can make you feel more confident and comfortable, and it starts with having the right routine. During the summer, you might use different products in the morning and at night, and some products you will only use once or twice a week. Here are the basics of summer skincare.
Summer Skincare Morning Routine
- Cleanser: Start your day with a gentle cleanser to remove excess oil and sweat accumulated overnight.
- Serum: Use a serum to protect your skin from environmental damage and brighten your complexion.
- Moisturizer: Even in summer, your skin needs hydration. Choose a lightweight, non-clogging moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated without feeling heavy or greasy.
- Sunscreen: Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30. This is the most crucial step in your summer skincare routine. Ensure you cover all exposed areas, including your face, neck, ears, and hands.
Summer Skincare Evening Routine
- Cleanser: At the end of the day, use a foaming or cream cleanser to remove dirt, sweat, sunscreen, and makeup. Double cleansing can be very effective, especially if you wear makeup or multiple layers of sunscreen.
- Toner: Apply toner to ensure your skin is clean and prepped for the next steps.
- Treatment serum: If you use any treatment serums (e.g., for acne, anti-aging, or hydration), apply them after toning.
- Gel treatment: If you use a gel-based product that contains snail mucin or any other calming and firming ingredients, apply it after cleansing but before moisturizing.
- Moisturizer: Use a more hydrating moisturizer to replenish your skin overnight.
- Eye cream: Eye cream should be the last step in your nighttime skincare routine.
Summer Skincare Weekly Treatments
- Exfoliating products: Exfoliate your skin 1-2 times a week to remove dead skin cells and prevent clogged pores. Switch out harsh scrubs for chemical exfoliators such as acids.
- Retinol: A powerful anti-aging ingredient, you can use retinol 1-3 times a week during the summer. Always use sunscreen if retinol is part of your routine.
- Face masks: Incorporate hydrating or detoxifying face masks once or twice a week to give your skin an extra boost.
Choosing the Right Products for Your Skin Type
Just like your personality, your skin is unique. To choose the right products for summer, you need to understand your skin type. Here’s a brief overview of each skin type and how to determine which one you have.
Oily Skin
Oily skin is characterized by an overall shine, especially in the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin). Pores are often enlarged and visible, making this skin type more prone to blackheads and acne. If your skin feels greasy or looks shiny a few hours after cleansing, and you frequently deal with blackheads, pimples, and enlarged pores, you likely have oily skin.
Best Summer Skincare for Oily Skin
Oily skin can handle morning and evening cleansing as well as more regular exfoliation. Here are the best summer skincare products for oily skin:
- Foaming cleanser
- Clarifying serum
- Oil-free or gel moisturizer
- Mattifying or gel sunscreen
The ingredients you want to look for to help control your oil and sebum production are:
- Salicylic acid
- Hyaluronic acid
- Niacinamide
- AHAs/BHAs
- Glycolic acid
Even though your oily skin may get very shiny during the day, do not skip moisturizer and sunscreen. If your skin gets dehydrated, you’ll risk more breakouts and uneven skin tone.
Dry Skin
Dry skin feels tight, rough, or flaky. It often lacks elasticity and can appear dull, with fine lines and wrinkles being more pronounced. If your skin feels tight after washing, often looks flaky or rough, and feels itchy or irritated, you probably have dry skin.
Best Summer Skincare for Dry Skin
Depending on how dry your skin is, you may want to skip washing your face in the morning or use a gentle cream cleanser or clean water. Here are the products you want to look for to fill out your summer skincare routine for dry skin:
- Cream cleanser
- Brightening toner
- Hydrating serum
- Lightweight moisturizer
- Cream or hyaluronic acid-based sunscreen
Dry-skin-friendly ingredients include hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, squalane, glycerin, peptides, and ceramides.
Combination Skin
Combination skin features both oily and dry areas. If you notice that some parts of your face (like your forehead, nose, and chin) are oily while other parts (like your cheeks) are dry or normal, you have combination skin.
For your combination skin summer skincare routine, you should use:
- Cream-to-foam cleanser
- Balancing toner on the oily parts of your face only
- Lightweight hyaluronic acid or antioxidant serum
- Non-occlusive moisturizer
- Gel sunscreen or sunscreen stick
Choosing products for combination skin can be tricky because you can’t always get something that works for your whole face. Choose gentle products to avoid irritating the dry patches or areas of your face and apply your hydrating products only to those areas.
Avoid oversaturating the oily parts of your skin, but don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your entire face. Use a gel sunscreen or a sunscreen stick with minimal mattifying properties to achieve a balanced finish.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is prone to redness, itching, burning, or dryness. It often reacts to certain products or environmental factors. If your skin frequently reacts with redness, stinging, or irritation when you try new products or are exposed to certain environmental factors, you likely have sensitive skin.
You should follow the same steps in your skincare routine as people with oily or dry skin, including cleansing, toning, treating, moisturizing, and applying an SPF. However, if you have sensitive skin, choose products from brands that use zero fragrance because fragrance is often a trigger for skin issues. Use gentle cleansers and avoid harsh exfoliating products, including AHAs, BHAs, and retinol.
Ingredients that help support sensitive skin are:
- Centella Asiatica
- Niacinamide
- Colloidal oatmeal
- Calendula
- Argan oil
- Squalane
- Allantoin
Acne-Prone Skin
Acne-prone skin is characterized by frequent breakouts of pimples, blackheads, or whiteheads. It can be oily, dry, or a combination of both. If you regularly experience breakouts and have to deal with acne lesions (pimples, blackheads, whiteheads) frequently, you have acne-prone skin.
Stick to your skincare routine even if you’re experiencing a breakout. Use an appropriate cleanser adjusted to your skin type and never skip moisturizer and sunscreen. Ingredients that can help treat acne include:
- Salicylic acid
- Retinol
- Azelaic acid
- Niacinamide
Be cautious when combining multiple acne-fighting ingredients in your routine. Using too many ingredients at once can dry out your skin, leading to more oil production and more pimples. Instead, choose one or two ingredients to focus on for a period of time before switching to something else.
Mature Skin
As you age, your skin changes. Aging is a natural process, but it can be frustrating to see your skin lose elasticity. You may also notice age spots, sun spots, and a lack of plumpness and fullness. Mature skin can be oily, dry, or a combination of both, and you can also experience acne flares. Mature skin requires products that focus on hydration, nourishment, and protection.
In the summer, treat your mature skin with care and use sunscreen with a minimum SPF 50. Look for sunscreens that have skincare ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and peptides. Other ingredients that support mature skin include:
- Ceramides
- Niacinamide
- Retinol
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
Summer Skincare Tips
Supporting your skin during the summer goes beyond choosing the right cleanser and moisturizer. Use these tips to have flawless summer skin.
- Avoid greasy and fried foods.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.
- Use lighter makeup to keep pores clear.
- Wear sun protection, including a hat and long sleeves.
- Take moisturizing lip products on the go.
- Embrace chemical exfoliants and vitamin C serum.
Making healthy choices for your body and health can have a positive impact on your skin.
Find the Best Summer Skincare Products in Kathmandu
You don’t have to settle for unhappy skin this summer. Shop the widest range of skincare products in Nepal to find the best ingredients and brands for the season. Our skincare experts are ready to help you achieve your best skin today.